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Her eyes closed, and before she knew it, she was drifting

She was there again

The place in the woods Deep, deep woods This ti followed She could hear the round, a fraction of a second behind the sound of her own feet against the earth She would stop and turn back, ti but the shadows, still shadows that swooped like wings, that seemed to have a whisper within theed

She looked forward, knowing that the old house was ahead She kept walking Once again, she heard that hint of sound, a whisper of er was there She could it feel like hot breath against her neck A warning It was close, so close, as close as the shadows that seemed ahead of her as much as they were behind her

She ran toward the door She nearly reached it when she heard the whisper take form

Almost here, you are almost here, I have told you, I have her, and I will have her, co

The shadoas lengthening, widening In seconds, it would be all-encoulfed

Wake, wake, wake up! she told herself in the midst of her dream

She hadn’t screamed; she hadn’t moved Her eyes ide, unfocused She blinked, and bolted upright

Ann

Tara leaped out of bed, and went racing to Ann’s roo She was si The balcony doors were closed, and covered with garlic, she had checked theeance

It nearly flew back at her There was a strong, chill breeze rushing through the open balcony doors

The garlic had been tossed into a corner of the rooain and stepped in, anxiously looking to where Ann should be sleeping in the bed

Her cousin was there

And so was aher

He was so close to her, fingers brushing aside the tangle of dark hair around Ann’s face Stroking her throat Lips nearly against her cousin’s flesh

"No!" Tara shrieked

He straightened, looking at her She knew hiain, and went flying across the rooe, ornate cross Jacques had insisted she wear, not ripping it fro it to use as a weapon

"No! No! No!"

She threw herself against his for steel It didn’t ers curled around hers with a brutal strength, and the an to swear

"I will kill you!" she vowed desperately She found that her own teeth were baring; she th or his power, she would not let hith, and believed that she could kill him--because she had to She had heard that faced with is could rescue one another, lift cars, break downdeeds, because of adrenaline brought on by sheer desperation She was desperate to save her cousin She would break free She h, ready to bring it down against his face, his eyes If she hadn’t the power to really down him, she hoped, at the least, to wound hiin a new offense with hie

"Tara!"

At first, she was barely aware of her na from elsewhere, a voice in herout to her, louder as she struggled

"Help!" The word escaped her lips

"Tara!"

It was Brent It was as if he had been far, far away As if, perhaps, he had heard her from a distance, had sensed that she was in trouble

He wasn’t far away He was there now, in the doorway

"Brent! Thank God, help , in which, still, a